Femicide in El Abra prison: woman strangled during visit to partner in Sacaba
A 38-year-old woman was found dead with signs of strangulation in El Abra prison, Cochabamba. The suspect is her partner, already detained for attempted femicide against her.
Woman found dead in El Abra cell after visiting partner convicted of violence
The Cochabamba Departmental Prosecutor's Office is investigating the femicide of a 38-year-old woman found dead with signs of strangulation inside El Abra prison in the municipality of Sacaba. According to El Deber, the main suspect is the victim's partner, a 36-year-old man who was in preventive detention at the same prison for attempted femicide against her.
The woman entered the prison as a visitor. When she did not leave the cell assigned to the couple, prison police entered to search for her and found her dead, according to case prosecutor Edson Orellana. The man, meanwhile, had cuts on his neck and arms.
A preliminary medical examination determined the probable cause of death as "mechanical asphyxia by strangulation". The Public Ministry added that the suspect has prior criminal records for family or domestic violence.
"Once the incident became known, investigation protocols were activated and the first investigative measures were carried out, including identification and legal removal of the body and processing of the scene," said departmental prosecutor Eddy Ordóñez in a press statement.
Bolivia accumulates 75 femicides so far this year
This case brought the total number of femicides recorded in Bolivia between 1 January and 13 November to 75, according to Prosecutor's Office data. The regions with the highest number of cases are La Paz with 24, Cochabamba with 17, Santa Cruz with 12 and Oruro with 9.
Between January and October, the Public Ministry registered 36,314 cases of crimes covered by Law 348, the statute that since 2013 guarantees women a life free from violence and punishes femicide with thirty years in prison without the right to pardon, the maximum sentence provided for in Bolivian legislation.
Last year 81 femicides and twenty-nine infanticides were reported in the country, in addition to 46,213 cases related to Law 348.
Feminist organisations have pointed out for years that the statute is not fully enforced due to lack of budget and specialised personnel. They also warn of a discrediting campaign promoted by conservative sectors seeking to annul the law.
Source: El Deber